Snacks

They may look like muffins, but a dunk in melted butter and a roll in cinnamon-sugar makes these luscious morsels taste more like donuts, without the hassle of deep-frying. We sell out of these muffins every morning at my Downtown Bakery and Creamery.

Put a rack in the middle of the oven and heat the oven to 350°F. In a stand mixer or a large bowl, cream the butter and sugar. Beat in the eggs, one at a time, until just mixed in. Sift together the flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, and nutmeg. Combine the milk and buttermilk. With a wooden spoon, mix a quarter of the dry ingredients into the butter mixture. Then mix in a third of the milk mixture. Continue mixing in the remaining dry and wet ingredients alternately, ending with the dry. Mix until well combined and smooth, but don't overmix. Grease and flour a standard-size muffin tin. Scoop enough batter into each tin so that the top of the batter is even with the rim of the cup, about 1/2 cup. (A #16 ice-cream scoop gives you the perfect amount.) Bake the muffins until firm to the touch, 30 to 35 minutes.

To finish

Melt the butter for the dipping mixture. Combine the sugar and cinnamon. When the muffins are just cool enough to handle, remove them from the tin, dip them into or brush them all over with the melted butter, and then roll them in the cinnamon sugar.

Make ahead tips

You don't have to bake all the muffins right away; the batter will keep, covered and chilled, for up to three days in the refrigerator.

Like salsa became a staple in everyone's fridge a decade or so ago, another foreign favorite, hummus, is everywhere from fancy restaurants to kids' lunch boxes. And while they're sort of polar opposites, both imports are very good for you.

Actually this isn't a classic hummus recipe—more of a riff on our favorite Middle Eastern bean dip—we're going to start with cannellini beans instead of garbanzos and go Mediterranean...

In the bowl of a food processor, pulse together a can of canneleini beans (make sure you rinse them well so they don't taste like the can they came from) add some walnuts that get a flavor turbo charge from a quick toasting, and a few sprigs of aromatic rosemary. A bit of lemon and onion and you are good to pulse away until smooth. Try that with some toasted bread or crunchy, sliced vegetables.

Arrange baguette slices on a cookie sheet and toast in the oven until lightly browned, about 7 minutes. Remove from oven.

In the bowl of a food processor, combine beans, walnuts, olive oil, onion, lemon juice, and rosemary—puree until smooth. Season to taste with salt and pepper.

Spoon the dip into a serving bowl and arrange the toasted baguette slices on a platter around it.

Garnish with the rosemary sprig and extra walnut pieces.

___________________________________________________________Annie B. Copps is a senior editor at Yankee Magazine. Annie oversees the magazine's food coverage, both as an editor and as a contributor of feature stories and columns.

With the chill in the air and football season upon us, I start to think about what snack you can serve that's not just your classic chicken wings. And believe it or not when I think of the New England Patriots, I also think of New England seafood and that's where crab comes into play.